East Coast Suggestions

First time poster and so grateful for this forum...
Thank God I found this forum! I've been planning a solo roadtrip for August from the midwest to Maine and following the coast to DC and back to the midwest. I've racked well over 40,000 miles road tripping with friends and family so I'm no stranger to the road but this would be my first solo trip and those closest to me are trying to talk me out of it - it's just "weird" to them that I would go alone. I'm so glad to know there are others out there that think this is perfectly acceptable

On another note, any suggestions for places to visit in the New England area or really anywhere on the East Coast? There's a ton I want to see further south and in Washington DC but not very familar with the north East Coast. Thanks!

Along your trip, I am most familiar with southern Maine and New Jersey, so if you have any specific questions about those areas let me know!

Some places to look into:
Bar Harbor, ME, and Arcadia NP are beautiful.
Portland, ME (check out the "Old Port")
Old Orchard Beach in Southern Maine is cute.
Kennebunkport, ME
Cape Cod (I guess that one is pretty obvious!)
Wildwood, NJ (awesome boardwalk)

Also, I've done many solo road trips. Just don't be stupid - make sure you have a plan for what to do if your car breaks down in the middle of no where; keep luggage/items out of view from car windows when you're parked, and consider avoiding super sketchy motels!

I sometimes get the concern from loved ones about solo trips, and I suppose my tales of falling asleep in the car at rest areas doesn't help, but that's to be expected. After all, not everybody is into taking roadtrips.

One thing to note about the Northeast, and in particular US-1, is that it is heavily populated, heavily trafficked, and runs through all of the major metro areas. This can significantly impact your travel time, especially if you are planning on sticking right to the coast from, say, Boston to Washington, DC. In fact, I recall a few years ago there was a television show where the hosts were trying to travel the length of US-1 in a week or so, and ended up giving up due to traffic.

I would second going up to Acadia National Park in Maine. You might also want to check out Plymouth, MA and Mystic Seaport in Connecticut. In between, check out Providence, RI, a city that not so long ago was a much scarier place.